Cold Fire Rising 5: Mind Games (The Stories Inside)
by BrightLotusMoon
Summary: A series of oneshots exploring family, friendship, psionic powers, love, and life. Mikey brings his family closer and his enemies down with nothing but his mind, which might not be the healthiest thing to do, but he is the eternal optimist. Ratings may increase depending on content. Requests are accepted.
1. Flo The Bunny

Chapter One: Flo The Bunny

(Author's Note: This first chapter is a gift for No Guns Only Roses, who was wonderfully kind enough to draw me several scenes from my fanfics. When she mailed me the original drawings, she included a small pink and white plush bunny named Flo, and wondered what it would be like if Mikey met Flo. So here it is. Small caution: Girls discuss sex.)

* * *

It happened after Donatello and April walked in on Michelangelo having a seizure. His beloved teddy bear had new rips in it from his spastic grip, and his arms sported long bloody scratches from his own fingernails. It was beyond upsetting, the way he curled in on himself, the hitches in his breath, and Donnie and April soothed him and nuzzled him until he came out of it, gasping and tearful.

Mikey whispered, "My bear…" and April took it carefully, holding the stuffing inside as best she could. It would take some time to sew up. The old thing was so worn and sad. Mikey stared at her with his puppy eyes, and all she could do was half-smile and send a warm thought, _I'll see what I can do. You need to rest._ And Mikey burrowed his nose into Donnie's plastron, sighing as Donnie cleaned up the scratches on his arms.

Gaia called April as April was sitting in her living room, as though Gaia had known – and of course she had known, it was Gaia – and suggested a shopping date, just the two of them. April frowned, because she'd forgotten to ask how Gaia went out in public without her feline features being commented on.

There were too many things she didn't know about her newest human-mutant friend. Mikey had once said they shared a similar origin story, but Gaia's involved family genetics instead of alien DNA.

April recalled a series of comic books she collected as a kid, where people were born with fantastic superhuman powers and called mutants, due to a literally mutated gene. She would have laughed, except Mikey was so serious, nodding. And then he asked if she still had those comics stashed away anywhere. Luckily, she did. She had hundreds of issues of "The Mutant Gene" and as as it turned out, she shared a favorite character with Mikey: "Firebird," a psionic who could recover from even death. She would need to ask Gaia about that. She had a sneaking suspicion Gaia might like the geeky "Cat Shadow," another psionic who shifted into different breeds of feline.

Now, feeling the spring breeze on her face, April stood smiling in front of Manhattan Mall on West 33nd. It had been ages since she was in this area. Gaia took her and and smiled, and took a very, very deep and long breath.

"Autistic Anxiety, right?" April guessed.

Gaia just smiled again. "I'll be fine. Mine if I draw energy from you?"

Of course it was fine, and April lent as much energy as Gaia needed. Gaia had opened to her, creating a bridge, so April felt the horrible pounding of crowds and sounds and adjusted her aura expansion. After a few minutes, the calico girl's face smoothed out, her eyes becoming gentle slits of calm.

"Are you sure people won't get weird about your looks?" April asked.

Gaia looked at her, rolling her neck, and smirked. She tapped her nose. She blurred. And April was staring at a completely human Gaia Anastasia Mako, tail and ears and nose gone. Her hair was still striped calico, but it looked like a dye job.

"Okay, then," April grinned, not letting go of her hand. They stepped into the mall together.

April always wondered what it felt like to be around a telepath stronger than herself. Those walls and shields were the most impressive she had ever sensed. Gaia was so… _open._ And also closed off just enough. No wonder Donnie loved experimenting with her.

"Anyway," April asked, slowing her pace so Gaia could keep up, "I'm curious about your family thing. Mikey said your sister is psychic?"

Gaia grinned. "Oh, shoot, did I never tell you? Yeah, my second oldest sister, Athena. She specializes in clairvoyance, remote viewing, that stuff. She works with a, um, private sector in law enforcement. She can't talk about her job. Had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and everything."

April widened her eyes. "Like a psychic detective?"

"Yeah. She's the only one they take seriously."

"Huh," April hummed.

"And you're thinking about the Mutant Gene comics, aren't you?"

April smirked. "Yup."

Gaia shrugged and tossed her hair. "Yeah, it's something like that." She smiled, showing a fang. "Technically, Athena and I are mutants. Rhea got the model looks, Athena and I got the psychic stuff, Hestia got the athletics, she's super bendy and really fast. But Thee and I actually have literal mutations in our genes. Rhea thinks it's why the mutagen that splashed on me and Akeso didn't turn me all the way feline."

"Sort of like how I'm immune to the mutagen in the first place?"

"Something like that. Ooh, let's go in there. Plushies!"

And she tugged at April's hand, limping rapidly toward the small shop featuring stuffed animals in the window. "Maybe we can replace Mike's bear with a kitty or a panda."

April found herself surrounded by colorful stuffed animals and had to suppress a loud, "Whoa." She was so busy moving through a shelf that she almost didn't hear Gaia's tiny gasp of delight.

"April, look! This is perfect!"

Gaia slid over, holding a very small, very pink rabbit in one hand. It was almost pocket-sized. April grinned. "Now that's adorable. I bet he can fit it in his belt."

"Exactly! Feel her fur, it's really soft. I like how she's upright, like the teddy bear."

"Well, I found this red panda, would he work too?"

This time, Gaia squealed and grabbed for it. "Oh my gods, yes!"

There was a slight pause, and April grinned. "You're gonna name them right now, aren't you?"

Gaia lifted her nose in the air. "Mikey may choose whatever names he wants. But yes, the bunny is Flo and the red panda is Jack."

"Why Flo and Jack?"

"Why not?"

"Good point."

April picked out a small green elephant, perfect for sitting on Donnie's computer desk.

"I meant to ask," Gaia said after they had made their purchases and walked out, "did you ever reciprocate Don's crush on you back then?"

April bit her lip. "Um. Not exactly? It's…hard to explain. I love him but not, like, romantic love? Like, I always felt like I screwed up when I kissed him at the farmhouse. I told you about that, right? After the Bigfoot thing? I never meant to lead him on, or Casey. I just…didn't feel anything. I just wanted him to be my best friend. And once we had really established that bond, I felt closer to him than ever. I mean, I've thought about…what sex with him would be like, but it wasn't a big thing. Like, I think I could, if I wanted, but not until recently. Does…does that make sense?"

Gaia was grinning so widely that April wondered if it hurt. "Aw, April! You're demisexual!"

"I'm…what?"

"You don't experience desires for anyone until you form a strong emotional bond with them," Gaia said happily. "How often have you fantasized about him?"

April tried not to blush. "Enough? Like, I keep meaning to ask you what he's like in bed."

Gaia chuckled. "Gentle. Curious. Kind of really kinky."

"Really? I wouldn't have thought."

"Oh, please. The guy's an inventor. He loves gadgets. You should see the charts and graphs we cook up. What we do, how we do it, what we can use as toys, which positions and touches spark the best neurochemical reactions…he likes silk."

The blush was spreading to April's neck. "I…I see."

Gaia wrapped her arm around April's shoulders. "Come. We should talk. There's a sex shop on the second floor. I keep meaning to find new toys the three of us can work with anyway."

"Uh, who's the third?"

"Mikey, of course! Trust me, you've never seen a pair of brothers so comfortable around each other. I'm pretty sure they're not even brothers, they were just raised that way."

April didn't think her face could get any warmer. But Gaia's extraordinarily casual comfort helped her breathe. "Is, um, is that why Donnie's the only other one you're physical with, instead of psychically?"

"Mostly because of the scientific curiosity factor. Also, Raph feels more comfortable in the astral plane and Leo…I'm pretty sure he's demi. It doesn't matter to him as long as there's real emotion behind it."

April nodded, feeling her blush begin to fade. Emotions, huh?

"Now, Karai, there's some kink. But we both have fangs anyway. Did you know that cats evolved their hiss to mimic a snake?" And Gaia was almost rambling, but April loved that about her, she was so quiet most of the time.

April found herself asking questions she'd never thought of asking, and walked out of the sex shop with a present for herself, after Gaia and the cashier had chatted excitedly about…well, she didn't quite understand, but it sounded as though Gaia had bought something interesting, as the scents of leather and metal wafted from her shopping bag.

"I haven't bought silk lingerie in a while," Gaia was saying cheerily. "They'll both love it. And I love your choice. It's got four different speed settings, so have fun."

This time, April didn't blush, she only smirked.

April managed to hide her purchases in Karai's room, except for the elephant, which she kept in its own bag positioned on her lap. Next to her on the couch, Gaia and Mikey nuzzled and then Gaia murmured, "So I found something for you, Sunshine. It should help."

And Mikey rifled through the red wrapping in the bag, pulling out Jack, who was carefully holding Flo. His eyes got impossibly wide and he reverently took the bunny in one hand. "Dude," he whispered, "Kitten, I dreamed about this bunny rabbit a couple days ago!"

Gaia lifted an eyebrow. "Well, then!"

He grinned at her. "Her name's Flo, isn't it?"

"Oh, is it?"

And he booped her nose with the red panda. "And this is Jack. You silly."

"Yeah, I'm silly."

"I love you."

"Yeah, you do."

On the nearest bean bag, Raph smirked and rolled his eyes. On the other couch, Leo gave a very geeky grin, while next to him Karai just shook her head in amusement. And Donnie leaned against the arm of the couch next to April, smiling in what looked like relief.

"Hey, Donnie," April said softly, and held up the bag from the toy shop, "I saw this and thought of you."

"Really? Aww, thanks, April, you didn't have to-" And he reached into the purple wrap paper. "A green elephant? April you're the _best_! Pachyderms are almost human-like in their intellectual and psychological and emotional functioning!"

"Well, yeah," Gaia called from where she had wrapped her arms around Mikey's neck, "that's why it's perfect!"

"What she said," April laughed, beaming up at her best friend.

He leaned down to give her a strong hug, and she felt warmth blossom through her chest. She scooted over to give him room to sit, and spent the next hour leaned against him watching Mikey, Gaia, and Leo play with Flo and Jack, Leo doing spot-on impressions of the _Space Heroes_ characters. Somewhere in there, Donnie joined in with Wesley the elephant, and Raph even put in a tape of _Space Heroes_ for everyone to watch. At some point, Chompy wandered into the mix, Karai brought Ice Cream Kitty in her cooler, Mikey telekinetically retrieved some action figures from his room, and April glanced up to see Master Splinter standing at the edge of the pit, hands behind his back, watching his children play with a bright gleam in his eyes.

As Mikey made Flo The Bunny float through the group and give kisses, April laughed and clapped her hands, bringing out her phone to take pictures. Who knew something as small as a plush pink bunny would be big enough to bring the entire family together?


	2. Under My Umbrella

Chapter Two

Under My Umbrella

April stared in awe at her friend's massive apartment, wondering how the hell Gaia and her family could afford it. And Gaia next to her smiked and elbowed her. "Combination of my sister's job, her wife's job, inheritance from dead parents and dead grandparents, a few other things. Believe me, I astound myself still."

She hooked her arm through April's. "Come on, I'll give you the tour. Then we can settle in my room so you can study."

After April had been shown the two bathrooms, the studios with extra beds, the kitchen, Rhea and Freya's bedroom, and the closets, Gaia pulled her to her bedroom and sat them on the queen bed with laptops, tablets, textbooks, study aids. April's neuroscience course was heavy.

As they studied and talked, their telepathy wove into each other and pulled away easy things, easy history and concerns, and Gaia's natural affinity toward empathic therapy had April talking about more intimate subjects than ever.

"I think I'm asexual," April began with a deep breath. The stylus next to Gaia paused by itself on the tablet, and Gaia smiled. "And…?"

"And maybe not totally. Is there a term for that?"

"Gray asexual, maybe?" Gaia suggested. Not fully ace but in a gray area. How to you feel about romance?"

April smirked. "It's fine. I don't mind being, um, wooed. I like wooing as long as it's done right."

Gaia nodded. "Just checking. I was having a thought."

"Tell me your thought."

"Mmaybe not right now, not while we're studying."

April leaned closer. "Does it involve sex?" and she drew out that last word.

"Yup."

"Sex with…who? Wait, don't tell me. Donnie?"

A flush of red creeped up Gaia's cheeks and neck. "I was wondering if you wanted to watch and observe, make your conclusions."

"I'm cool with that." April leaned back, surprising herself. "I stopped feeling confused and cold about his crush on me a while back. I just want my best friend."

"I think he does too," Gaia said. "But remember, you were the first girl he'd seen."

"I remember," April smiled.

Hours later, they finished their work, sighing in relief. "I'm ready to go to the lair," Gaia mumbled. April nodded, yawning. Gaia grabbed her hand, and April felt a surge of energy better than caffeine.

"Can you do that to yourself?" she asked, gathering up her things and shoving them into her backpack.

"Sometimes," Gaia said wistfully. "Not enough. It's like a catch."

They descended to the underground and arrived at the turnstiles, and Mikey was already waiting. He lifted both of them, giggling, carrying them down the stairs, chattering about a cake he was baking. April saw Donnie out of the corner of her eye and waved. He waved back perkily.

April wiggled until she was on her feet, skipping over to the couch. She noticed that the boys were watching another episode of the "new" Space Heroes show. Behind her, Mikey murmured "Aww, Babe, can I soothe the cramps? Is it stabby?"

April turned her head a little and saw Mikey press his hand to Gaia's belly just below her navel. Gaia was looking pale. "Y'know, Kitten, I keep tampons 'n stuff in my room just for you." And April smiled, impressed. Gaia was very good at masking pain. But Mikey could see everything. He was better than, well, anyone April knew.

"Oh!" and her own thought startled her. "Mikey, I totally forgot, I have body glitter for you." And she dug in her bag while Mike yelped like a puppy and Leo chuckled.

"Got a ballroom gown for him in there too?" Raph smirked.

Mikey lifted his chin. "Excuse you, I am a princess, I will don no mere dance outfit."

"Noted, My Lady," Raph saluted, and Donnie nearly fell off the couch laughing.

Grinning, April opened the lid, grabbed a fistful of gold, and sprinkled it over Michelangelo's head. He gasped and turned his face up, eyes and mouth closed.

"Mmmm, how're my freckles?" he murmured, when the last flake fell.

"Glittery, darling," she laughed, and he grinned widely, spring green skin shimmering. Glitter rose by itself from the jar and dusted over April, who squealed and spun. "How are _my_ freckles?"

"You look like twins," Gaia laughed, dropping her cane and draping her arms around them both. She telekinetically pulled out glitter and spread it thickly through her own hair, shimmering gold in black to her waist. She then glanced at Raph, who was staring at them with an eyeridge quirked. Her feline nose twitched.

Raph's eyes widened. "No."

"Raaaph," Gaia said.

"I will pay you to not throw glitter at me."

"Only if you scratch my head," Gaia said, folding her arms.

He paused. "With the glitter on it."

"Yup."

"That's it?"

She pressed her hands to the back of the couch and wiggled her hips, black tail uncurling from around her waist. "And two therapy sessions tomorrow."

"But we had three last wee—oh crap."

The palsied cat mutant flung herself with startling speed, and April couldn't help her yelp of laughter as Raphael was tackled to the floor and head-butted.

Mikey bumped her shoulder with his. "He's reeeaally good with scalp massages."

Resigned, Raph began rubbing Gaia's head with his fingertips. "I hate talking about my feelings."

"But you love getting laid," she purred.

"Can't that be the talking about my feelings part?"

"That's not how any of this works. Neck, please."

April watched in fascination as Raph ended up sitting with a lapful of human mutant calico cat who was purring and talking at the same time. Somehow he was smiling broadly and massaging her shoulders with ease, taking her palsied left arm and working the spastic muscles all the way to her fingers. Gaia was leaning her head on his shoulder. They looked utterly comfortable, Gaia's thick black hair shining with gold body glitter. Mikey leaned his arms against the couch, his expression one of absolute devotion. "She's so cute."

April opened her mouth to comment on Mikey's complete and total love for his girlfriend, but paused when Raph let out a frustrated groan. Gaia was now rubbing the top of her head up and down his plastron.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not throwing glitter at you, Raph!"

"You're _rubbing_ it on me."

"You look pretty!"

"Damn, Raph, you do!" Donnie hollered. Mikey scooped up a fistful and let it loose over Don's shoulders. Donnie gave him a flat look.

"Now you're pretty!" And Mikey skipped over to Leo, who was already standing up and backing away.

"Run, Leo!" Raph yelled.

"Magic pixie dust!" Mikey and Gaia shouted in unison, and Leonardo's face and plastron became glimmering gold.

April had to pick up Gaia's cane and lean on it, she was laughing so hard.

Raph pulled away from Gaia, who rolled her neck, stuttered a breathy thanks, then slowly limped to the couch and pulled Mikey close, kissing him hard. "I am gonna astrally screw your brother so hard in the spirit plane he'll have sore groin muscles in the physical world."

"Aww, Raaaph, you were too good!" Mikey laughed, running his hands down his girlfriend's back. "Now you gonna talk about your feelings _and_ the philosophy of the world in your therapy session!"

Raph's mouth quirked downward and he glared, but it was empty and they all knew it. He didn't even wipe the glitter away. Gaia smirked. "And if Y'Gythgba comes to Earth and I get her with glitter, what would you do?"

That got a reaction. Raph scrambled to his feet. "Only if Mona wants, and I doubt she would! She's a warrior!"

"So are you, you incredibly violent teddy bear."

Raphael was blushing so intensely that April wanted to giggle. Raph had come to her during that six-month period where their lives had changed, to talk about his "first time" being in the astral plane with his little brother's polyamorous girlfriend, to talk about how it felt strange when he wasn't sure if he was in love with an alien salamander woman many light years away. April wound up confessing that she had listened to Mona Lisa's thoughts once, and it wasn't uncommon for Salamandrians to take more than one lover. It had seemed to relax Raph. He had told her that Gaia's therapy sex helped release his frustrations almost as much as Mikey's pranking, but he was genuinely scared of hurting her body, so spiritual sessions felt safer, and he had much much more control. April had found herself swelling with pride that Raph would confide in her like this. She didn't know or care about the sex part, all that mattered was that her friends were feeling good. And that was when she had realized she didn't know as much about Gaia Mako as she had thought, and had become determined to remedy that.

April had stunned herself by not only rejecting both Don and Casey in her mind, but feeling absolutely no desire. If Michelangelo had been awake at the time, she would have gone to him and he would have happily helped her look up answers. She went to Master Splinter, who explained that there were dozens of ways to feel sexuality, including feeling no desires whatsoever. She had mused on that in the back of her mind. Mikey awoke from his six month coma, and the entire clan busied themselves with helping him recover. Rhea and her wife, Freya, built him braces with a built-in TENS unit of sorts and Gaia telekinetically helped him exercise the deeper muscles. In four months, Mikey was doing handstands and jumping off walls, slightly hesitant and shakier, but impossibly well. Those six months had been a recovery as well, April decided. She eventually recalled her thoughts on orientation when Mikey and Gaia were on the couch with her, kissing gently, and Mikey had murmured something about not always feeling male and thinking some guys were hot.

And it was then that April O'Neil asked about sexuality, gender identity, and orientation, and found her life changed.

Now, deep in thought, April strolled over to Raph, and he flinched very slightly, as April was covered in even more glitter and who knew what parts of him she wanted to make shiny. April, knowing this, grinned slyly, grabbed some glitter out of her hair, and squeezed Raph's hand, rubbing her palm into his. But at the same time, she sank down next to him and bumped his shoulder. "It's okay," she said. "You don't need to speak for Mona. I'm sure she'd love to explore all sorts of silly human customs."

Raph seemed to exhale deeply.

"You know," Gaia said. "I could just hook you up telepathically. You could ask her yourself."

The room went quiet. April watched as Leonardo sat down heavily, eyes wide.

"You…you can do that?" Raph's voice was full of awe.

Gaia and Mikey looked at each other. April caught the immensely proud smile Mikey gave Gaia as a communication passed between them.

Gaia came back to Raph and sat in front of him. "You know I'm long-range. Remember when you four traveled across dimensions and I was still able to keep up? It's easier to do it across outer space. It's still in this universe. Spacetime bends, Raph. Telepathy isn't restricted by anything but the telepath."

He just stared, eyes glittering. "So, I can talk to Mona? I can see her? I mean, can I see her? Like, can you…can you make it so…"

"Yeah, I can! That's what the white place is for." Gaia reached out her hands. Raph grabbed them without thinking, glitter dusting to the floor. April smiled. The grin spreading across Raph's face was blinding.

"I love you," he whispered.

Gaia just winked. "I know."

They closed their eyes.

* * *

And for the next several days, Raph was walking around with a ridiculous smile. Mikey teased him and teased him. He just shrugged, and whenever Gaia was around he grabbed her, kissed her deeply, said, "This hug's from Mona" and swung her in his arms. Gaia merely looked like a cat sated with the finest meals.

April found herself a "client" of Gaia's therapy once every couple of weeks. It really seemed to help…something. She couldn't quite explain it. But the way they telepathically bounced off each other comforted her in ways that were hard to describe.

Sitting on the couch, playing a video games, Michelangelo leaned in and asked if she was happy. All she could do was lean her head on his shoulder, kiss his cheek, and say, "Yes, Mikey, very happy."

She was.


	3. Our Genius

The sky had been raining fire, and then it was just rain.

The exploded building was still smoldering, and the group screamed hoarsely, the resident telepaths straining to feel life signs.

"I feel Raph, over here!" April cried dashing to the left, Casey and Karai at her heels. Michelangelo stood in the rubble, breathing, staring, reaching. _Donatello,_ he projected. _Donatello. Donnie. Donnie with his own aura and how it had a unique sensory feel that was more varied in color than his other brothers, tinged with violet and lavender and lilac and iris—_

 _THERE!_

"Don!" And he hurled himself forward and Leo ran at his side.

It would have been fine, if Don and Raph hadn't been arguing over staying behind to set the bomb, to flush out the Foot Bots. And the bomb had gone off, and somehow, shielded by heavy debris, two turtles were alive in there. Two stubborn, irritating turtles. If they were dead, Mikey swore he would kill them.

He and Leo dug at the exact spot, and Donnie's upper body emerged, broken and bruised and bloody. Leo cradled his head while Mikey moved the concrete from his legs.

Mikey knew immediately that it was bad. It was worse than bad. His legs…

"Don't look, Leo," he whispered, in a child's frightened voice.

Donatello and Splinter had been training Michelangelo to be the assistant medic for so many reasons.

 _There are so many bones in the legs that can easily break at the same time, fragments floating in blood and fluid, rubbing against stressed tendons snapped like rubber..._

Mikey gathered his telekinetic healing factor from the deepest core, as far down as he could dive, until his body began to heat up. He ran his hands up Don's torso, pausing when he hit a dark place—

No pulse.

Donnie had no pulse.

His inner child broke down and sobbed, his inner warrior growled.

 _Mm. All right. Hey, Apollo, hold my soda and watch this._

Mikey reached into himself again, scooping up more energy, more and more, and decided it might never be enough.

"You're not doing this to me, Donnie," he rasped. "We made promises. You can't leave me."

"Mikey…" Leo breathed, staring at him. "Mikey, he isn't breathing!"

"I know," and Mike grit his teeth, heat rising, and pressed his hands against Donatello's chest, releasing the power in a steady, heavy stream.

Distantly, he heard Raphael yelling. "Wait, what about Donnie? No! I'm fine! Stop! What's Mikey doing? How bad is Donnie!"

In one part of his mind, Mikey quickly assessed his other injured brother. Five broken ribs, fractured left ankle, broken left wrist, deep lacerations all over both arms, might need a transfusion if he got stubborn. There was a lot of danger of internal injuries; he shouldn't be moving like that; _Stop squirming, Raph, gimme a sec_. But.

Donnie.

Donnie was clinically dead.

Mikey pushed his power as far as possible, and he felt the heart jolt and shudder, the lungs clench and expand. Heartbeat steadied easily, falling into a rhythm.

Donnie lived. Donnie was _alive_.

Beat, beat, like the slow pounding of wings against a storm.

No time, no time…Donnie's right hip was broken cleanly, both legs had compound fractures under the knees, all that bleeding, he had to…he had to fix it.

Time slowed. Time sped up. Bullets of time bending around him, space flexing inside his brain and spreading outward in a blanket of energy. Gravity struggled in his hold, physics shattering as he _forced_ an entire dimension of space and time to bend and fold to his will. _There_ was a body. _There_ was bone, organ, muscle, tissue, fluids, skin. _There_ was a life and a death and a soul floating contentedly beside him while he worked to move the mountains of biology like a musician playing an instrument.

Sweat beaded on his face and he vaguely remembered what usually happened when he pushed the telekinetic healing too far. He kicked that aside and _concentrated._ Time slowed down again, time jerked to a halt and raced alongside his pulse, circling and wrapping around him and pushing. _Bone_ and _blood_ and _muscle_ and _tissue_ like a nursery song.

Leonardo was calling his name, Raphael was screaming his name. Donatello was gasping his name, and they sounded confused and worried and relieved and scared. He absorbed it like a chant, his pulse a drum.

Mikey let the energies flow, taking him along, not really telling him what they were doing, just the assurance that they were _helping…_ And that was what mattered. He let himself step back just a little while the energies did their…their _thing._

 _Bones knit. Donnie will walk just fine after a couple weeks. He'll hurt for a while but—_

He lost the ability to think. Everything was a burst of random colors, white energy, blue energy, _shift_. He heard Raphael calling for him.

 _Raphie…_ He threw back his head; his mind lashed out and shoved energy toward his other older brother, so fast and so intense that Raph screamed in confusion. April's voice was in the chant, now.

He stopped hearing words, he just heard the beat, beat, beat, wings and drums and life and space and _time._

And then he was falling. And then he couldn't breathe. His whole body trembled and his arms spasmed.

It was all right. _It was all right._ Donnie was going to be fine. Raph was going to be fine.

It was fine.

He was lying down on something soft. Mikey opened his eyes slowly.

Gaia looked back at him, frowning, her hair draped around him like a black curtain.

"Kitten? What…where…"

He was on one of the couch benches in the Pit. Gaia pulled away and he glanced around.

There was April, Casey, Karai…and then there was Gaia, and Freya. The voices of Don and Raph drifted from Don's lab, followed by Rhea and Leo.

He sat up, sucking in a breath. Gaia merely smiled and kissed him gently. "You almost completely overloaded yourself there, Sunshine. You've been asleep for about seven hours."

"What…about…Don and Raph?"

"Rhea's assessing them. They seem to be healed, if in pain. Bones are hard to knit, you know. You were supposed to have learned that lesson with Casey."

Mikey frowned. "Are…are they full healed?"

"Well, no," Gaia said, "Donnie's legs are still weak, but Rhea and Splinter are putting him on a specific exercise regimen."

"Why isn't he healed? I didn't do it enough!" Mike stood up, staring around the room. The others looked back at him in confusion. "Donnie!" He took a few steps, and then Leo came out, wheeling Don in the chair that for a long time was exclusively Mikey's. Mikey's gut clenched at seeing Donatello in it. Splinter was holding Raph gently by his wounded arm. Mike stared at Raph's arms for a few seconds, then looked at Don.

"Donnie, Donnie, how do you feel, are you in a lot pain?"

Don smiled, "I'm a little sore if anything. I heard you gave me telekinetic CPR as it were."

Mikey rushed over and hugged him tightly. "No way was I letting you leave us."

Patting his carapace, Don chuckled. "Don't start crying on me, Mikey. Everything's _fine_."

"But it isn't. I didn't heal you enough."

Donnie looked at him flatly. "Excuse you? You got my heart started, mended multiple bone breaks and bruises, prevented potential paralyzation and irreversible joint damage, stopped both me and Raph from bleeding internally. You literally worked yourself into an overload, a seizure, and unconsciousness, and-"

Mikey waved that off. "Yeah, but you're not totally _healed,_ you're in a wheelchair and Raph's wrist is in a cast and he's _coughing…_ "

"I'm fine," Raph said, letting out another cough. "You know the deal with busted ribs."

Mikey glared at him. "You are _not_ fine and I am gonna _fix_ you."

Raph's eyes widened.

"Uh," April said. "Mikey, are you okay?"

He whirled around. "I'm _fine,_ April. I'm gonna _fix_ everything and then we'll all be _fine._ "

April shot a concerned glance at Splinter, who stepped forward. "My son, please soothe your spirit. We are all extremely thankful that Donatello is alive-"

"Yeah, but he needs to be all better!" And Mikey's voice had dropped a few octaves. Leo jumped in surprise. "I didn't do my _job._ "

Raphael stared at him, grimacing. "Mikey. What the hell are you talking about? It's only been a few hours! If it weren't for what you did, everything would be completely different. It's enough. Don'll heal up just fine in a few weeks and you don't need to freak out."

"I'm not _freaking out_ ," and Mikey was growling. "I'm mad at myself. Now shut up and let me work. Donnie, lie down so's I can look at your legs."

Donatello blinked. "Mike, no. There's absolutely no reason for you to do this. Leave it be!"

Mikey grabbed the chair's arms. "Lie down, Donnie."

"Uh. In the words of Melville's Bartleby, I would prefer not to."

"Lie. Down. Donnie."

Mikey was starting to twitch a little, and unconsciously Don had grasped the wheels, trying to guide the chair backwards.

"Don't make me move you, Dee."

"Mikey," Leo admonished. "You made it a rule that you'd never lift any of us unless we were hurt and needed it or we gave you explicit permission."

Mikey's head snapped around and Leo took a step back.

"I don't _need_ permission, Leo. Donnie is hurt and he needs healing."

"Um, right here, you know." Don waved a little.

Gaia put her hands on Mike's arms. "Okay, honey, okay. Back up. We can talk about this later."

Mikey seemed to droop, inhaling, standing up and turning to face her. "I…sorry, babe. But you _know_ and I can't just…"

"Yes you can."

He blinked. "No. Gaia, I can't. I _won't._ "

"You can and you _will_ , or you're gonna be dealing with me in the white place, and don't make me call Pan and Hecate."

"Hecate won't ca-"

"Remember what she kept telling you about overestimating yourself? Where'd that get you?"

Michelangelo snarled and glared at her. Gaia snarled right back. Her claws unsheathed and dug into his arms. Mike's fists clenched.

The others all raised startled eyebrows. This was a rare thing, Mike and Gaia _never_ fought. It wasn't natural for them.

"Gaia, it's _Donnie._ "

"I know, Mikey. I _know,_ okay? It's Donnie. But this is part of that exact discussion. Remember? Yeah? And part of that was letting go, right?"

Everyone else looked around at each other. This was encroaching on private territory, wasn't it.

Donatello, who was starting to blush and fidget, cleared his throat. "Uh, I was part of that conversation, remember? And I'm right here. Still riiight here."

Mikey sighed, closing his eyes. "And it's why I need to heal you all the way."

"It is _not_ ," Don said firmly, "because you _did_ and because I will be _fine_. Now I think the three of us should talk about this later, in private, because I'm _done_. I'll be in the lab."

He wheeled himself around as Mikey whirled on him, mouth open and hand out. Gaia tugged on him. A choked noise burst from his mouth. Gaia dug her claws in and let out a frustrated purr. Mike answered with an irritated chirp.

The room fell silent. April cleared her throat, then hurried after Don into the lab. The door boomed shut.

Mikey swallowed and seemed to sag. "I…sorry. I dunno what came over me."

Gaia smiled slightly and put her arm around his waist. "Severe protective instincts triggered by unexpected PTSD memories of your own slow recovery thus making you want to speed up Donatello's recovery so he wouldn't need to wait?"

Raph snorted. "Psychologists."

Gaia stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. Mikey giggled.

 _And the other thing,_ Gaia projected, enough that Don heard it too. Mikey smirked and Don coughed.

"Well then," Freya threw her hands in the air, "I am officially confused and now assuming both adorable and kinky things. I love you. Sort out your shit." She tugged at the curls escaping her ponytail. "Rhea, I'm heading home, will you come with or do you need to stay a bit for them?"

Rhea was rubbing hand sanitizer through her fingers. "I'm coming, honey, lemme get my bag."

"That's what she said."

" _Freya._ "

Raph chuckled. "One day, I wanna read what you two wrote as your wedding vows."

Freya's grin was sharp. "Halfway through I switched to Norwegian and started describing how we'd a pair of little old women living in a cottage with fifty cats." Her accent deepened slightly.

"Tell me it was a saga."

"It almost was," Rhea supplied. "I replied in Greek. With poetry."

"Hah!"

"Raph, don't strain yourself too much," Rhea said.

He muttered under his breath and blushed when she stage whispered in Japanese.

"I do not do that!"

Leonardo was laughing. "Raph, you've been doing that since we were twelve."

Even Splinter was chuckling. "Thank you, Ms Mako, that was entertaining."

"I try to appease." Rhea smiled and bowed, then took Freya's hand. Casey scrambled to follow then them to the turnstiles, muttering about homework and a late dinner.

"Raph?" Mikey's voice was small. "How are you feeling."

"Mikey…"

Raph smiled, sighed dramatically, then went to his brother and embraced him. "I'm hurting a little. I wouldn't mind a boost if you're up for it."

Mikey nodded against his shoulder. "Cool. Let's sit down."

"Thanks, Mikey."

"Thanks for humoring me, Raph."

"Who says I'm humoring you?"

They managed to laugh at that.

* * *

Donnie was in his room, at his desk, drawing up blueprints. His legs ached. He had left the wheelchair in the lab; he estimated that careful movements and exercises would make him stronger within a few more weeks. He admitted, though, that his bones felt cold, his joints knotted.

There was a soft, familiar knock on his door and an even softer nudge in his mind. Grinning happily, he called, "Door's open."

He waited. A pair of small arms came around his neck and he was nuzzled, the purr echoing throughout his body. At the same time there was a thump on his bed and another soft nudge in his mind.

"You don't need to apologize," Don said.

"Yeah, I do," Mikey said. Don shifted in Gaia's hold and looked over. His brother wasn't looking at him, swinging his feet.

"Mikey, hey…" As Donnie went to him, Gaia turned the desk lamp slightly toward the bed, like they usually did, and pounced on the bed to settle into her spot between them. This time she moved backwards, while Donnie slung an arm around Mike.

"Everyone gets scared, you know that. I don't expect any of my brothers to be perfect on the field, not even Leo. Hell, I expect slip-ups usually. Keeps me on my toes."

Mikey smiled wetly at him. "Oh, is that why some of our medical training together included emotional trauma?"

"Precisely. Look, Mikey. I don't mind if you want to heal me all the way. But I want you to be in your right mind, because…you're scary and unpredictable as it is, we don't need that part taking over your psionics."

Mikey puffed out his chest a little, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Damn right I am. But yeah, I get your point."

Gaia suddenly crawled up, cat-like, between their embrace. "Hey, so, talking is fascinating and all, but I'm missing this," and she grabbed Donnie's chin to pull him in for a kiss, leaning against Mikey, who steadied her and bent his head to kiss her shoulder. Swiftly, Mikey began undressing Gaia and himself. Donnie decided talk was over-rated.

Afterwards, as Gaia lay with her head on Mikey's plastron and her feet in Donnie's lap, Don massaging her feet and Mike massaging her shoulders, Donatello suddenly sat up, blinking.

"Okay, which one of you healed me all the way? Because my legs feel completely fine now."

The telepaths shared a wide-eyed, kitten-like glance.

"Ah, probably both of us?" Gaia squeaked.

"Probably during, um, toward the end," Mikey cleared his throat, "when Gaia did that thing with her hands, and she did that move with me and that caused a chain reaction, because remember I almost lost control and that stuff fell off your desk…"

Gaia bit her lip. "Look, I let loose a little, and energy does what it wants sometimes…"

"...and we weren't even hooked up to the monitors this time, but maaan, I bet those energy readings would've been so spiky and wild..."

"Guys, I'm not upset," Donnie interrupted, laughing. He tickled her left foot and she growled playfully and kicked softly. "I appreciate it. We were…happy. I was kinda swept away and not paying attention, and that was probably best." He lay back down, eyes shining. "I feel great. Thank you. I love you."

"Love you," Gaia said happily. Mikey just giggled and planted kisses all over Gaia's face.

He sighed, squeezing her feet. "'M glad we all have each other. 'M glad I'm alive, I'm glad Mikey is here, I'm glad my family is with me."

"Aww, there's that oxytocin rush!" Gaia giggled.

"I'm sorry I was ever jealous of you, Mikey, I didn't know a person could feel this much love," and Donnie reached out his hand, which Mike grabbed, blinking.

"Dude, when were you jealous?"

"Way back when you came out of that six-month coma, and Gaia was spending all that time with you. I…I realized I was completely, hopelessly, romantic as fuck in love with her and I didn't know how to process it. There was a difference between the comfort love she gave us during your coma and the love I started feeling after you woke up." And Donatello turned his head away, staring at his desk.

"Dude," Mikey said. "I…I didn't know. Kitten, did you know?"

"I sensed it, a little," Gaia admitted. "It's common when a poly relationship is started and someone is used to mono relationships, there can be a sense of heirarchy. But remember, I love all of you equally."

"I know that," Don breathed. "I know that _now_ and I guess I knew back then, but it was hard. I just…fell hard. Harder than I did with April. That was my first crush, I didn't know how to handle it. You…you're my first love, and I really didn't know how to handle it."

"Awww," Gaia cooed. She sat up and grabbed his arm, tugging. He sat up and leaned into her arms. "Our genius," she whispered, lips against his forehead.

"I didn't know this," Mikey pouted. "How come I didn't know?"

"Mikey," Don grinned, "it's okay, it was months ago, I'm past it. We talked it out. Didn't we, princess?"

Gaia nodded and rubbed his arms, leaning against Mikey, who embraced them both, murmuring into Gaia's hair, "…you're so full of love, if you didn't share it you might explode into stardust."

"That's very poetic, Sunshine."

Donatello smiled and let the memories come back. It had started after Mikey began recovery and Gaia had been running through the lair, back and forth between his room, between her apartment and the underground. Donnie would catch glimpses of her the way the moon would vanish behind trees; both of them were moving too fast to stop. He had realized that the gut-wrenching, heavy, warm feeling he'd been having for the last few weeks was falling in love, and it was difficult to work his emotions, watching her move between Mike's room and his other siblings' rooms, knowing exactly what was happening. Logic and feeling clashed. He had reminded himself to think in science: pleasure center being lit by neurotransmitters being directly affected by hormones being woken by desire being fed by emotions being stirred by actions and words. Reward center of the brain, constant fulfillment, like a drug, the same chemical dependence as anything else, it was chemistry, it was biology, she was lighting up his brain like a bonfire in moonlight, and fuck it this was painful and he wanted it, her, more than just about anything, he couldn't _think_ and his mind was spinning.

He had stood outside his room, watching Gaia lean heavily on her cane as she left Mikey's room once again. This time, her hair was tousled and one of her tank top sleeves had slipped down her arm. She smelled different, she looked like moonlight against a midnight sky, her feline amber eyes glittering. They'd had sex, hadn't they? Something that would have acted like pain relief, attaching to the brain's natural receptors, exploding in a mix of oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, something to take Mikey's mind off the pain for a while, help him relax and rest.

Donnie inhaled and did his best to ease the burning in his chest.

Gaia had gone into the lab, probably for more gauze and wipes. Head down, Don followed her and shut the door.

She spun, her free arm full of supplies. "Dee, hey! I'm sorry for raiding your supplies."

He smiled a genuine smile; she was adorable with those canine teeth poking out. "No, it's fine, Mikey needs it all. Can I, um…c-can I talk to you?"

Her slitted pupils widened a little and she set the supplies, and her cane, on a table, grabbing a chair. "Come sit. You do need to talk."

He sat heavily and she gripped the back of the chair. "I won't read you," she said, "I swear. I'll put a shield up."

He shook his head. "No, it's okay, I don't mind if you do. In fact, you might want to. I'm, um, not sure h-how I should talk about this."

"Donnie…" And she had leaned in a little, feline nose flaring inches from him. "Something's wrong. You've been avoiding me for the past few days. You've been tense around Mike, he's been worried, he doesn't want to read you but he thinks something's wrong with you."

"He shouldn't worry at all, everything's fine."

"Not emotionally. You're frightened. You're upset. Hell, Dee, you're...I sense shame. Talk to me." Her hands were on his shoulders. The burning in his chest spread.

He shut his eyes tight, clenched his jaw. "Gaia…uh…I…I'minlovewithyou."

There was a few heartbeats of silence. Her hands pressed against him and were gone. He opened his eyes.

A flush was spread across Gaia's face. Her hands were on her hips, an eyebrow was raised, lips quirked. "Mm. Is that the only thing wrong?" A warm smile spread across her face, showing her canines again. "I'm in love with you too, Donatello." And she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

His entire brain stopped working for a millisecond - _did she really just say she loves me like that?_ \- and he faltered again, fingers twitching, wanting to reach for her. "Yeah, but…Gaia..."

 _Breathe_ , he reminded himself. _You're a scientist. Think logically._

"But?"

"You've…okay, I know this sounds ridiculous, but…all this time you've had with Mikey. You _love_ him. You love him so much it's like twin stars, or seeing how two galaxies merge. And I…I don't know if you'll ever feel that way for me. I don't know if it _can_ be that way with me."

She blinked. "You're jealous of Mikey? Because of me?"

He closed his eyes again and sighed. "Because I want you all to myself. I don't want to share you. And it's so ridiculous. I shouldn't feel that way. I'm not supposed to feel that way. You're Mikey's girlfriend first."

He heard a slight, gentle chuckle, and felt warm hands cup his face. "Ah, my genius. That's all right. Jealousy is something everyone feels."

He opened his eyes and stared at her. "Oh…oh. But...I thought..."

She grinned. "You've never done poly. It's okay, you had no idea." She shifted, and settled into his lap, and his arms automatically went around her. She was so _warm_ and she was so _soft_ and she was so kind to him. He didn't deserve this. He had been wanting to take her _away_ from all this, to keep her when she loved so much, so widely. He knew damn well that she was only the second person to spark feelings in him like this, and he would be a fool to feel this way. And here she was, knowing this and still talking to him. _Loving_ him.

"Donnie," Gaia said. "Jealousy is one of those fascinating things. It's a composite emotion. It builds off of multiple emotions and feelings, like insecurity and fear and worry and uncertainty." Here she laced her fingers around his neck. "You have spent fifteen years living underground, isolated, sheltered; you only had three brothers and your father, you learned from television and found books and occasional glimpses through sewer grates. Your mind calculated a universe that didn't include ideas like romantic love, sexual desire, in a realistic way beyond fiction. You had your dad's love story, which isn't like most. It was easy to think you were falling in love with April; there was an instant draw to her. And when you met Casey, there was instant jealousy."

He flinched. She kissed the other corner of his mouth. "You lived a childhood that included darkness, fear, daily uncertainty about everything, fighting for your life and your family's lives, wondering if you really mattered in the world. You were insecure and anxious without really understanding why. You built things and fixed things because that was what your brilliant brain told you to do. What else did you have room for?"

Donnie thought and frowned. This was true.

Gaia nodded. "Right. You had your family; it was enough. And then, when you went topside, the rest of the world came around. You met April and Dr. O'Neil, you met Karai and Casey. You discovered whole new emotions that you knew all along but didn't have names for. You didn't know what context to put them in. You pushed hard because you didn't know how to pull back, none of you did, all you could do was run where your emotions pointed. It took a long time for any of you to get it right. You're just kids, Dee, we're only kids."

"So…" and he ran his hands up and down her back, "if I'm translating correctly, you're saying that allowing myself to naturally and instinctively feel possessiveness over you is less harmful than acting upon that instinct which would run roughshod if I didn't pull back."

"Essentially, my genius," she murmured against his mouth. He pulled her head close enough and drank in her scents, feeling more and more comfortable.

When they eventually pulled away for oxygen, Donnie swallowed. "I…sometimes Mikey would open up a little too wide, and I'd see his memories. They were mostly of you."

"Mm-hmm?" She was still smiling, fingers against the back of his neck.

"And…gods, I felt like I was burning up, you were so sweet and gorgeous and wonderful, and I kept wondering why I didn't have memories like that of you."

Sighing, Gaia pressed her forehead to his. "Those can be made, Donnie. Once Mike is well enough to leave the lair and I can stop being so scared, you and I will go on dates. Real, actual dates, and we'll make real memories."

"Really?" Something inside him flared to life, fluttering. "You…we can do that?"

Gaia covered her mouth with her other hand as she burst out laughing. "Oh, shit, I don't mean to laugh at you, I'm so sorry. Yes, we can do that, Donatello, yes. That's what it means to be polyamorous."

He blushed and ducked his head. "Sorry. I'm so new to this."

"Of course you are, you all are. Except Karai. Would you feel better knowing I had a similar conversation with Raph?"

"A little, yes." And then he grimaced. "I mean, obviously the only memories we would have of you would be the somber ones, being together to comfort each other because Mikey was near death for so long. And the good ones always have you with Mikey."

She nodded. "Well, none of us knew this would happen until it happened. I can't see that far, I don't think anyone can. Even if someone could, it would be fragmented."

"I know," he said, "plus there's the added headache of split timelines, causality loops and whatnot. A universe where Shredder still lives. A universe where Mikey is…is dead. A universe where, I dunno, April and I get married. A universe where we never met you."

"Precisely. But back to the topic at hand."

"Yes, of course." Donatello ran his hand over his face. "I do feel better."

"Do you?" She kissed him again, her hand now pressed against his plastron and moving lower.

"Well…I _could_ feel a lot better."

She grinned. "There's my genius."

When they exited his lab an hour later, Donnie was grinning and glowing. Hand in hand, they walked to Mikey's room, carrying the supplies.

At the noise, Michelangelo opened his eyes and pushed himself up against the headboard. "I figured you two got delayed in there." The grin across his face mirrored that of a Chesire cat.

"We needed to talk," Gaia said, sitting on the bed and beginning to unwrap one of his arm bandages.

"Uh huh. Talk. That's what we're calling it now."

"Smart mouth."

"That's what I do best!" Mikey looked over at his brother. "So, Donnie, she's good at conversation, right?"

Grinning back, Don just lifted his chin.

The memory faded. Donatello was still smiling. Gaia was still rubbing his arms and Mikey was still talking softly. Don wiggled his toes, feeling a sudden rush of pride. He really did love being their genius.


	4. The Drumming Song

The Drumming Song

It was a dream. It had to be a dream, right? Just like…like Papa. He dreamed that Papa died, that Super Shredder stabbed him through the heart and threw him off a roof. When was that dream? A year ago? He couldn't save Papa. All the life was gone, the blood was on the ground pooling around them, soaking his kneepads. What the fuck. What the fuck. He saved Donnie that one time, Donnie's heart had stopped and his body had broken, and Mikey had healed him, right? So…so why was his sensei, his father, his dad, his daddy, his _papa—_

"Mikey?"

It was like a shuddering blow, shaking the dream. The voice was so loud, so intense. He turned away from it. He couldn't move. Some part of him turned away anyway.

"Mikey, please, I know you're coming back, please, just acknowledge me. Please. We're scared, Mikey, it's been so long. Wake up. Please, Sunshine."

Wait. Only one person called him that.

Wait.

He wasn't dreaming.

 _It wasn't a dream._

 _It had never been a dream._

In his mindscape, Michelangelo screamed.

He screamed, long and hard, and the silvery blue space around him opened and he fell, tears erupting from his eyes hot like the lava he'd fallen toward and Leo had saved him from like Tarzan. He remembered that, all too well, right before they had finally gone back in time and warned Splinter so he had kicked Shredder's butt so hard Shredder had been badly wounded and taken mutagen to super-size himself and—

 _It's my fault. All of it. From the beginning, I set it in motion. I made friends with Chris Bradford. Hell, it was probably my shuriken that Tiger Claw found that alerted Shredder. I messed up so much. Why am I still around? When we were at that Kraang hideout, way back, when nobody wanted to team up with me, I should have left. I should've just run. Like at the farmhouse, when I was dancing with Kitty and then they yelled at me and I ran away and found Napolean, why did I go back? I'm the source. I'm the cause of all our bad days, I'm the biggest screw-up ever…_

He struck something solid. The floor of the white place. He was flat on his face and the wind had been knocked out of him. The was a powerfully agonizing throb on his right side, like a broken rib and a bleeding lung. He concentrated and it faded slightly. Heat radiated down on his head. Wheezing, Mikey sat up, _seiza_ style even as the scars on his legs protested and pulled. He looked up.

 _Ho shit._

He had never seen a deity incarnation angry before.

Hecate was _angry._

Next to her stood Loki and Apollo and Hermes. They looked _angry_.

"Hamato Michelangelo," Hecate hissed, like a cat, "if you _ever_ think those things about yourself again, I will make you stand in the crossroads on your head and recite that epic fanfiction that Homer human wrote."

Mikey blinked. "Which one? Iliad? Oddessey."

Hecate's golden eyes flashed. " _Both._ "

"Um…"

Loki crouched, grinning widely. "Ever read _my_ saga, boy? In the original tongue?"

Michelangelo whimpered. "Dude, that's punishment."

"That's the point, Little One," Apollo piped up, kneeling down and sitting back on his ankles in the same _seiza_ pose. "Where are all these self doubts coming from? Is it because you nearly died a few days ago?"

"I…what?"

"You must remember. The bullet?"

Lava-like pain flared through his right side again. Mike winced.

He remembered.

He and Raphael had gone topside to get pizzas, to celebrate their eighteenth Mutation Day. The day before, he and Donatello had gone to Gaia's apartment to spent a lazy day of studying for Gaia's finals followed by hours of sex and recording brain activity during sex for science, because it was Donnie, and that was how this whole polyamory thing had kind of started, the physical, although Leo and Raph were still astral plane sex with Gaia only and Gaia had pegged Leonardo as asexual anyway, same as April, and it had been a wonderful day because he had played with Gaia's hair that was now past her hips and Gaia had given Donatello a full body massage with telekinetic assist that had left Don like Jell-O, and Mikey had laughed.

And the next day they had gone back to the lair to set up the party and everyone was there, and Raph had been in a particulary great mood because Y'Gythgba was still around, his Mona Lisa, she and Freya had become friends, and Mona even approved of the spiritual sex therapy with Gaia, and sometimes she joined…

And Mikey had been babbling about toppings as the two of them had made their way to that new pizzeria across town, and then those Purple Dragons had shown up, robbing a pharmacy, and there had been a lot more Purple Dragons than Mikey had remembered.

And one of them was running around with a gun. Mikey had not noticed but he should have, he really really should have, he was the family telepath. It had not been until later that he had identified it as a Glock 17. He would have giggled, had his lung not been filling with blood.

See, he had gone one way and Raph had gone the other and they had knocked down every gang member, and Mikey had been doing a slow victory dance, taking his time, and he should have sensed it coming. But sometimes clairvoyance and clairsentience just don't work like in fiction. And the guy had lifted the gun just enough.

And Mikey had felt this strong, blazing punch to his rib cage, half a second before the air cracked with a gunshot. They don't sound like they do in the movies.

Michelangelo had blinked, frowning, hand automatically moving to press against his plastron. He looked down. Blood spilling over his hand.

 _Huh. How about that. More scars to add to my canvas._

" _MIKEY!_ " And Raph had screamed, barreling toward him, and Mikey had swayed and dropped to his knees, eyes trained on the probably very young Purple Dragon whose hand had been shaking, and his power had struck out without his command and the kid had flopped unconscious, and the pistol – Glock, a Glock 17 – had dropped from his hand. And then Raph had been holding him, a torn jacket from one of the gang members in his hand being pressed against the wound.

Mikey had looked up at him, from his suddenly prone position. "…didn't sense it…"

"S'okay, Mikey, it's okay, you'll be okay, just hang in there," and Raph's face had been very pale, eyes very wide in pure horror.

"Burns," Mikey had muttered, sucking in a rather cold breath, "Ow. Raphie, 'm cold."

He remembered Raph slapping his cheeks, urging him to stay the fuck awake. He had been tired, and cold, and the telekinesis had been sluggish as though it too had been shot (had any of them been shot with bullets before?) and was pulsing in the back of his head. Raph's T-Phone had been glowing from the emergency panic signal, and then time had gone wobbly, because the Shellraiser had suddenly parked next to them and there were lots of hands on him, there was Donnie's hand pressing on his wound, and he was being carried, and he coughed a little to hard and spilled blood all down his chin, and Raph had screamed something and Leo had screamed something and Casey had screamed something and then Donnie had said, very very clearly, "Gaia, can you stabilize him?" And then the voice of his beloved Kitten had been like sunlight bursting through a cloud, and she had been hovering over him, and she had said, "I can get the bullet out but I'll need time to seal the internal bleeding" and then…

Then what? Then he had been floating in that deep, dark, extreme astral plane where healing energy darted like minnows in a navy blue ocean, like the one he and Gaia had found way way back when he had gone comatose after killing the Shredder (but he hadn't, not really, because Saki had _come back_ as Super Shredder and _murdered Papa_ and they had never cried so much, and what had been the _point_ , he had nearly killed himself and Shredder hadn't even died and he just wanted to stay where he was and never move-)

"There's the memory," Hermes said, satisfactorily, and Michelangelo gasped and struggled to his feet. The gods in front of him smirked at each other and looked at him.

"Well, that sucked," he muttered.

"You had better leave those bad thoughts behind," Loki said with a growl.

Mikey just grumbled and folded his arms.

Apollo reached out and put his hands on Mikey's plastron. The pain vanished. "Could have been worse, you know. You could have lost an arm."

"Huh?" Mikey tilted his head.

"Sorry, wrong timeline. Time sometimes folds like pleats." The golden man patted his left shoulder. "You'll be all right. Just be careful."

Smiling wanly, Mikey shrugged against his hand and felt an odd phantom tingle along his left arm.

"Whoops," Apollo said, "residual alternate timeline energy, lemme get that off," and he petted the air above Mikey's arm.

When he stepped back, Hermes was glaring at him. Mikey stared in confusion, before he sensed the familiar pull that would take him away from the astral plane and back into his body.

Michelangelo slammed back into himself breathlessly and the mere fact that he was corporeal sent shockwaves of agony through him. A full body shudder had him whimpering.

"Mikey? Honey, it's okay, you're okay." Gaia's voice was a soothing salve. "Donnie, can you increase the morphine? He's in agony. I can only do so much, I'm exhausted."

Gradually, his body stopped shivering and clenching. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Amber cat eyes met his, and a soft human hand stroked his cheek. "There you are. Hi, Sunshine."

"Hi Kitten," he croaked. "Did I miss the party?"

Auburn eyes surrounded by purple cloth came into view. "We put it on hold just for you."

Mikey frowned. "W' bout the pizza?"

The two of them burst out laughing. "Rhea can go get more pizza now that you're awake. We put the cakes in the fridge." And Donatello wiped his eyes.

Their laughter seemed to attract a crowd, because Mikey was abruptly lifted gently into Raph's arms, his brother nuzzling his neck. "Fuck, Mikey, don't scare us like that, I really thought you were dead…"

Mikey managed a snort. "Dude, for me death is like a long nap ever since that shit with the Alchemist."

Raphael's very solemn, very dark green eyes stared at him. "That'd better be true."

Mikey kept up his trademark grin. The morphine, flowing through him, was making it easy. "Bro, I'm so awesome I have personal gods yelling at me to live."

Raph finally smiled. Over his shoulder, Casey blinked. "So, we're still having that party, right?"

Someone whacked him lightly on the head.

Mikey giggled, ignoring the ache in his lungs. Gaia kissed him gently, and he savored the coffee on her tongue and the cinnamon gloss on her lips. "I'll tell my sister to go get pizza."

"No bullet toppings," Mikey drawled. She just hummed, smiling, and kissed him again.

Michelangelo sighed. Ah, his family. Forever.


End file.
